This invention is directed to a novel cleaning-in-place (CIP) process. More particularly, the invention is directed to a CIP process that is segmented, and surprisingly, does not require solution to be circulated to every component of a machine subjected to water in order to obtain superior cleaning and/or disinfecting results.
It is extremely important to clean food processing facilities like breweries, dairy plants and carbonated beverage plants (non-fermentative soda plants). Typically, such food processing facilities are cleaned by subjecting the internal portions of the machines that make up the facilities to a solution that reacts with the various soils present within the machines.
A conventional CIP system, for example, has several storage containers. Each storage container, independently, houses a solution (e.g., pre-rinse solution, cleaning solution, rinsing solution) that is fed (non-simultaneously) into the facility targeted for cleaning or decontamination. Typically, the solutions are pumped into the liquid passages of the machines of the facilities being cleaned and circulated through the machines until they are finally discharged to waste.
Conventional CIP processes are known for employing a pump that circulates a cleaning solution throughout the machines of the facilities being cleaned. During such conventional processes, the unused cleaning solution is fed into no more than two components, regardless of how many components or segments the machine targeted for soil removal has. What this means is that if a particular facility has, for example, carbonated beverage filling machines, conventional CIP processes feed unused cleaning solution into no more than two components of the machine, even if the machine is made up of many parts, like deaerators, storage and mixing tanks, as well as carbonation and cooling tanks. Therefore, only the first two components of the machine receiving cleaning solution are subjected to virgin or unused solution and all other components receive used cleaning solution. Also, conventional cleaning processes are not efficient since every part of the machine gets cleaning solution, even parts like deaerators that are only subjected to large volumes of water.
The disadvantages of cleaning via well known CIP processes is that used soil and contaminant carrying cleaning solutions are circulated throughout the components of the machines being cleaned. Such processes unequivocally result in inferior cleaning. Moreover, conventional CIP processes are not efficient since every part of the machine targeted for cleaning gets cleaning solution, even if the part is one that is only subjected to large volumes of water.
It is of increasing interest to develop efficient processes that thoroughly clean and/or disinfect processing equipment. This invention, therefore, is directed to a novel cleaning-in-place process that is segmented, and surprisingly, results in superior cleaning, disinfecting, or both without the need to circulate solutions through all parts of a machine.
Efforts have been disclosed for cleaning processing equipment. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,311, a process for cleaning equipment in the absence of a pre-rinse step is described.
Other efforts have been disclosed for cleaning equipment. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,552, a CIP process comprising the step of circulating a cleaning liquid throughout equipment targeted for cleaning is described.
Still other efforts have been described for cleaning equipment. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,561, a two part CIP system is described and the system utilizes an alkaline material and an enzyme.
In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a cleaning in place process comprising the steps of:
a) supplying an unused solution to more than two components of a machine targeted for cleaning, disinfecting or both;
b) generating spent solution; and
c) removing said spent solution through at least one outlet of the machine.
In a second aspect, the present invention is directed to a cleaning in place process comprising the steps of:
a) supplying an unused solution to more than two components of a machine targeted for cleaning, disinfecting or both;
b) generating spent solution; and
c) removing said spent solution through at least one outlet of the machine
wherein the unused solution is not supplied to a part of the machine that is only subjected to water and holds more than about 5.0% of the total volume of solution in the machine, and no more than about 5.0% of the spent solution generated is mixed prior to exiting the machine.
In a third aspect, the present invention is directed to a cleaning in place process comprising the steps of:
a) pumping through at least one CIP unit an unused solution to more than two components of a machine targeted for cleaning, disinfecting or both;
b) generating spent solution; and
c) removing said spent solution through at least one outlet of the machine.
Percent (%), as used herein, means percent by volume based on the total interior volume of the machine targeted for cleaning, disinfecting or both. Unused solution, as used herein is defined to mean solution that has never been used, or solution that has been used and subsequently cleaned (e.g., cleaned, filtered) to substantially its unused form, or a mixture thereof.